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Delivering a speech at a meeting of Middle East and West Asia of the Organization of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG-MEWA) which was held in Konya, Turkey, the Tehran mayor put emphasis on exchange of views over preparedness of local governments for prevention of and confrontation with possible crises caused by environmental and humanitarian risks. He also announced Tehran's readiness for exchange of fruitful expertise in urban management to other members of the organization.

Delivering a speech at a meeting of Middle East and West Asia of the Organization of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG-MEWA) which was held in Konya, Turkey, the Tehran mayor put emphasis on exchange of views over preparedness of local governments for prevention of and confrontation with possible crises caused by environmental and humanitarian risks. He also announced Tehran's readiness for exchange of fruitful expertise in urban management to other members of the organization.

According to Tehran SAMA, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said: "Iran defined its future in positive and effective interaction with UCLG-MEWA cities. For sustainable urban development and access to economic prosperity relations and cooperation among urban managers at international level is essential and we should now let the heritage of Islamic civilization and Islamic cities be exposed to distinction."

The Tehran mayor referred to the holding of the MEWA meeting adjacent to the tomb of Jalaleddin Mohammad Balkhi, and said: "Jalaleddin was born in Balkh. He met Attar in Neyshabour and then he departed for Samarqand and Bukhara. In Baghdad he received education from Sohrvardi, a mystic from Zanjan, and stayed in Aleppo and Damascus to further his education and finally settled in Konya. Now Mawlana is in Konya and each of those scholars in one corner of the Middle East and West Asia. Each of these cities are now located in a separate political geography but all are in one single cultural and civilizational domain. Thousands of non-Persians consider reading and memorization of Mawlana's poetry as knowledge."

Ghalibaf added: "It is expected that leaders and urban managers by thinking and planning to respond to the ever-increasing needs of citizens and supplying infrastructures, services and facilities needed by their cities, make efforts in local, national, regional and international domains with an aim of maintaining interests of the citizens and their cities and for realization of peace and sustainable development in the world. I believe the best method for success and reduction of challenges is regional cooperation. To this end, regional cooperation has been placed on our agenda. Our approach is holding common scientific-expert conferences with an aim of exchanging common experience and research in urban projects. In this direction we extend our hands of friendship towards all cities, governments and nations which believe in cooperation in a humanitarian, friendly and just atmosphere away from Totalitarianism and unilateralism.